Storm Darragh: Fallen trees and at least 1,400 Shropshire homes without power after county is battered by wind

The National Grid’s power cut tracker has shown more than 1,400 homes in the county without electricity at various stages of today including in Market Drayton, Telford, Shifnal, Bridgnorth, Cosford, Church Stretton, Clee Hill, Bishops Castle and the villages of Plealey and Rowton, near Shrewsbury.

Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World has also lost power, with bosses saying on social media: " Unfortunately due to us losing power at 8.35am and National Grid not guaranteeing that we'll be back online until the end of the day, we have taken the difficult decision to close.

"Whilst we do have a backup generator on site, this will only run the animal habitats - not our Christmas experience - meaning that we cannot offer all our Christmas activities (including Father Christmas).

"We appreciate this will be a huge disappointment for many of you - however we have taken it with everyones enjoyment and (most importantly) safety in mind.If you have any bookings for today (experiences, christmas or general admission) please get in touch at info@hoo-zoo.com to discuss your options. "

More than 400 homes in Rowton and Plealey, near Shrewsbury, have been affected by the power cuts and in Rowton, power is not expected to fully return until almost midnight.

The Bridgnorth area has 178 homes without power, with National Grid forecasting its full return by 9pm.

The Muxton area of Telford has also been hit badly, with 227 homes off the grid. They are expected to have electricity again by 12.15pm.

101 homes in Market Drayton, in the Ashley and Eccleshall areas, are without power, with homes expected to be hooked up again by 2.30pm.

In Shifnal, 68 homes were reported without power, while 20 in Cosford are suffering the same problem. Shifnal is expected to be back to full power by 1.15pm, and Cosford at 10.30am.

Shropshire Council have said the National Grid and SP Energy reported power cuts in some parts of the county and for any residents experiencing problems to call 105.

Meanwhile, there have been reports of trees falling in the road near Oswestry, including on the B4579 from Glyn Ceiriog to Selattyn by the Brithdir turning.

National Highways have said the A5 was closed between the B5070 (Gledrid) and A483 (Halton) at around 4.30am due to high winds, particularly around the exposed Ceiriog viaduct.

Road users can find the latest updates and diversion routes by visiting National Highways Travel alerts.

Motorists have been advised – particularly those driving high-sided HGVs, motor homes and motorcycles, and those towing caravans and trailers – to check the weather and driving conditions before setting out on journeys. 

Luke Hindle, National Highways’ duty manager, said: “The conditions we are seeing across certain parts of the country remain very challenging, but we are doing everything we can to keep the country moving where it is safe to do so.

“Any closure is only put in place to protect the safety of the travelling public.

“While we continue to see the effects of Storm Darragh, we would encourage drivers to check the latest weather and travel conditions before setting off on journeys and consider if their journey is necessary and if it could be delayed until conditions improve.

“If you do intend to travel, then plan your journey, take extra care and allow yourself additional time.”

There is a yellow weather warning for wind in Shropshire from the Met Office, and several flood alerts in place across the county as residents batten down the hatches and prepare for the brunt of the storm.

The warning for wind is in place until 6am tomorrow and a Met Office spokesman said to “expect some disruption and damage.”

“There is a slight chance of some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs,” he said. “It is likely that some roads and bridges could close, with impacts from falling trees.

“There is a slight chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.

“There is a small chance that injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.”

The Met Office also said there was likely to be longer journey times or cancellations as road, rail, air and ferry services are affected.

Flood alerts are in place at Ludwyche Bank and the River Rea, the Lower Teme, Lower Cound and Rea Brook, the River Worfe, the Severn Vyrnwy confluence, Tern and Perry catchments, the Upper Teme and the whole River Severn.

The government’s flood warnings service said about the River Severn alert: “River levels are rising at the Crew Green river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall. 

“Consequently, flooding of property/roads and farmland is expected. 

“We expect flooding to affect low lying land and roads adjacent the river from Shrewsbury to Upper Arley. Locations that may be affected are White Abbey, Coalbrookdale, Ironbridge, Bridgnorth and access to properties along Riverside in Bridgnorth, and Gravel Hill Lane, Shrewsbury. 

“River Severn bankfull at White Abbey. Predicted Peaks: Crew Green 6.0m to 6.1m Sunday morning; Montford 5.8m to 6.1m Sunday morning; Welshbridge 3.4m to 3.8m overnight Sunday; Buildwas 4.8m to 5.2m Monday evening; Bridgnorth 4.0m to 4.3m Monday evening.

“We expect river levels to remain high for the next few days.”

As of 9.20am today, there were no flood warnings of a more serious nature and no flood update from Shropshire Council. Frankwell car park remains open in Shrewsbury town centre.

For more information on flood warnings and alerts visit check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/alerts-and-warnings